<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>It's All Fun and Games by yikeswtfmate</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27727588">It's All Fun and Games</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikeswtfmate/pseuds/yikeswtfmate'>yikeswtfmate</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Explicit Language, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:41:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,918</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27727588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikeswtfmate/pseuds/yikeswtfmate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A glimpse into Bucky and Y/N’s relationship, where they’re not together, but every single one of their friends would beg to differ.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff/Vision</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Bet?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The noise from 15B doesn’t seem to subside, although it’s nearing midnight. There are only 4 lights turned on in the entire apartment – one forgotten in the bathroom, after Bucky leapt out as fast as possible in the possibility of Sam stealing his $500 note that he’s left on the table, one in the kitchen where Wanda is trying to make some popcorn but failing at understanding Steve’s  microwave, and two lamps in the corners of the living room, where there’s a huge debate on whether Y/N can skip paying the luxury tax just because one of the dice slipped from her hand.</p><p>“No, I am <em>not </em>losing this fucking game, just because you reinforce rules whenever it suits you!” Y/N shouts, finger pointing in Sam’s direction.</p><p>“But it slipped from your hand!” He retorts. “You were rolling it!”</p><p>“I’ve let you <em>not </em>give me the full rent when you landed on my Boardwalk and <em>this </em>is how you repay me?”</p><p>“Ok, settle down, guys.” Steve interferes, before they start wrestling (as it is known to have happened last time). “Y/N, you’re gonna pass Go in your next round anyway. Just mortgage something.”</p><p>“<em>Boy, </em>it’s about the principle, not about what’s the easiest way around.”</p><p>“You have no principles.” Wanda chimes in. She sits down next to Nat on the sofa, rearranging the blanket on their legs, and hands her the bowl of popcorn. Both of them look at Y/N with half-amused half-accusing expressions.</p><p>“You’ve offered to suck Bucky’s dick for one last dollar that you were missing when you landed on his space.” Nat points out.</p><p>“Well, how the fuck is it my fault that he has <em>three </em>fucking hotels next to each other and I’ve landed on <em>each?” </em>Y/N’s hands shoot to the ceiling, frustration rising.</p><p>They all know how competitive she can get whenever they play Monopoly, and although the girls had decided a long time ago not to play with her anymore, preferring to just watch and comment as referees, Sam likes to laugh at her for how bad she can be at the game, regardless of the thousands of times she’s played it. Bucky and Steve were just goaded into it, with the promise of the loser having to do their dishes for a month, and they figured their chances were pretty big considering Sam’s complete lack of strategy and Y/N’s competitive rage that does nothing but blind her.</p><p>“Just declare yourself bankrupt.” Sam says, an ironic undertone to his seemingly considerate remark.</p><p>“Bitch, I’ll <em>die </em>before I lose to you.” She seethes, fingers going white as she clutches the coffee table.</p><p>“Ok, ok, that’s enough.” Bucky pries her hands open, and clutches them in one of his. He takes one $100 note from the bunch he has in front of him and places it in the box between him and Steve. “She paid it, now move on.”</p><p>“You can’t do that!” Sam yells, smirk falling from his face.</p><p>“Yeah!” Y/N shouts as well. “You can’t do that! I want to win this fair and square!”</p><p>“I’m helping you out, just say thank you and move on.” Bucky sighs, slapping her hand that reaches towards the box. “You can give it back after you pass Go if you’re so desperate.”</p><p>“<em>No.</em>” Y/N sets her jaw and tries to lunge herself over Bucky, only to be easily stopped by his strong hands around her arms, practically forcing her into a human straitjacket.</p><p>“Sam, your turn now.” Bucky says, completely unfazed by Y/N’s efforts to break free.</p><p>Wanda throws some popcorn at Y/N’s head, not missing her target once, which only makes her grumble and lash out more. Bucky is relentless, and having already warned Y/N once to stop thrashing out, he just manoeuvres her like a puppet until she sits between his legs, arms wrapped tightly around her. In the meantime, Sam builds another house and Steve ends up in jail, but Nat puts on an episode of The Office which immediately draws their attention from the boardgame to the tv.</p><p>Bucky leans on the armchair behind him, loosening his grip on Y/N, now that she’s closely following an episode that she’s already probably seen countless times. <em>Such a baby, </em>he thinks, amused by her inability to focus on anything else when it comes to her favourite show.</p><p>As the episode progresses, so does Y/N’s body mould itself into Bucky. It started with her drawing nearer, her back pressing into his chest, then her head rested on his shoulder, and now her hands find his in order to interlace their fingers. Her hair tickles his collarbone, but he doesn’t mind; she’s keeping him warm. She moves her head up and to the side, until her breath fans over his jaw. If he would look down at her now, their lips would be an inch apart, his mind provides.</p><p>“The worst thing about prison was the dementors.” She whispers in time with Michael.</p><p>Bucky’s chest starts rumbling under her with a suppressed laugh. She giggles quietly, returning her gaze to the tv. Another stray popcorn hits her head and Y/N groans, grabbing the nearest thing to her (Sam’s top hat on the board) and throws it in the direction of the sofa, only to land in Steve’s hair. Bucky and Y/N both watch in fascination as Steve just pats his left ear, completely unaware of what just happened, and continuing to watch the episode. They look at each other, mouths pressed into thin lines, barely holding in their laughter.</p><p>“Five bucks he’ll find it when he goes to sleep.” Bucky whispers in her ear.</p><p>“Are you nuts? With the amount of hairspray that he’s got going on, he’ll find it in the shower tomorrow.”</p><p>“Bet?” He offers, luring her in in one of their usual games.</p><p>“This is too easy and I’ll win. Higher stakes?”</p><p>“You’ll go with me at my cousin’s wedding next week.”</p><p>Y/N looks up at him again, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I thought I already agreed to that.”</p><p>“You’ll have to pretend to be my girlfriend so I can finally get my sister off my back.” Bucky shrugs.</p><p>“Bet.” She concedes, offering her pinky. Bucky grabs it with his own and they shake once.</p><p>He knows he’ll win the bet, mainly because <em>he</em>’ll be the one creeping into Steve’s room when everyone’s gone to let him know there’s a Monopoly top hat stuck in his hair.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I Dare You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun is rising on the horizon, the air is billowing through cracked windows, and a black car zooms past a blue one, horn pressed down as if announcing the arrival of an army. Natasha can’t be seen but she’s shouting in annoyance, while Sam laughs maniacally and throws his middle fingers up as Steve looks on confused. Peggy giggles on the passenger seat, softly enough not to wake Wanda who’s drooling in her sleep on Vis’ shoulder. Back in the black car, Bucky bats Y/N’s hands away, trying to avoid a goddamn accident because she wouldn’t get off the steering wheel.</p>
<p>“I <em>did not </em>let you ride shotgun so you could press the horn whenever we overtake Steve!” Bucky yells, waving his hand around the space between their seats.</p>
<p>“He drives like an old <em>grandpa. </em>I’ll hit menopause before we get to the beach if he won’t pick up speed.”</p>
<p>“She’s right.” Sam nods gravely, as if imparting a wise secret.</p>
<p>“I’ll drop you both off on the side of the highway if you won’t stop.” Bucky warns, casting a glance in the rear view mirror.</p>
<p>He catches Nat’s eye, who promptly smacks Sam and then Y/N over their heads. With a satisfied grin, she goes back to her book, while the two grumble quietly, too scared of her to overtly complain like the big babies that they are. Last time they dared say anything, she hid their chargers for two days, leaving them to fend for themselves, as all the others were warned not to help beforehand. It all ended in dead batteries, fat crocodile tears from Sam and fake swoons over the couch from Y/N (Bucky <em>did </em>lend Y/N his charger at one point, and although Nat suspected something was amiss when they huddled closer on the armchair, she didn’t say anything).</p>
<p>Bucky watches Y/N finally settling down, grabbing her knees to her chest, contorting her body in the passenger seat until she looks like a spring roll. He hands her over the aux cord, a concession after he yanked it out when she started playing the Baby Shark song half an hour ago. Sam then fidgets in his own seat behind her, snickering at the probably obnoxious playlist she’s put together. He points to various songs, before he lets out a guffaw when Y/N taps on the screen, puts it down and turns to Bucky. He casts them a short glance, enough to see that they’re both watching him with giddy expressions.</p>
<p>“Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!” Y/N shouts in time with the opening line, but Bucky’s disbelieving groan is interrupted by Sam’s own yell.</p>
<p>“So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!”</p>
<p>“I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!”</p>
<p>Bucky wants nothing more than to bash his head on his steering wheel repeatedly, already regretting his life choices. He should’ve known giving them the aux cord was a mistake, yet he was a fool, trusting Y/N too much, as usual.</p>
<p>“So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!”</p>
<p>His only hope is Nat, praying she’ll put a stop to it, seeing that she just put down her book. She takes in a deep breath, and Bucky is ready to thank all that’s mighty for her help, when she joins in the what now sounds like screeches.</p>
<p>“I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig ah!”</p>
<p>He can see Steve in the wing mirror, peacefully driving in what looks like complete silence, or maybe even a nice, smooth song that Peggy’s picked. He can only dream of that level of tranquillity, wondering once more why exactly he agreed on driving the biggest idiots on this face of the planet. He would’ve been able to recall a conversation along the lines of “couples are paired with couples and losers are paired with single losers,” if his brain weren’t knocking around his skull at the moment.</p>
<p>All three of them continue to belch the lyrics, and Bucky wonders if this song has always been five years long. Y/N pokes his cheek, and he puts his hand above her knee, softly squeezing his fingers into her bare flesh, trying to silently beg her to stop. She presses her cheek on his bicep and she hugs his arm, squeezing it tightly to her chest. He’s aware that she continues to sing between fits of laughter, but he’s a bit distracted now that his arm is clutched between her breasts.</p>
<p>“Baby, I can’t drive if you keep my arm in a death grip.” He murmurs, kissing her forehead, eyes still on the road.</p>
<p>Y/N lets go of his arm, when suddenly Steve overtakes them with a prolonged honk. Bucky honks back, and he flips him the bird at the same time Y/N does.</p>
<p>“That <em>fucker, </em>who does he think he <em>is?</em>” Y/N yells.</p>
<p>“Did he wake up from the dead?” Nat snickers, while Sam grumbles something about speed limits and snails.</p>
<p>Wanda’s head pops up, and she seems to be turning in the backseat, intent on fully facing them. She sticks something on the window, something that looks like one of Steve’s drawing notebooks, and all four of them are trying to decipher what is written in big black letters. Nat and Sam huddle between the front seats, Y/N’s face is nearly pressed to the window, and Bucky accelerates a bit until they’re almost bumper to bumper.</p>
<p>
  <b>You lost your direction there for a sec Bucko</b>
</p>
<p>“Couldn’t she have just sent that in the group chat?” Sam groans with a roll of his eyes.</p>
<p>He leans back in his seat, taking out his phone in order to send just that, which results in a wave of messages that only he bothers to reply to. Nat pauses a second more, her gaze following Bucky’s arm that’s still resting on Y/N’s knee, but doesn’t do more than snort before joining in the chatter on the online group.</p>
<p>“Are we there yet?” Y/N asks Bucky, five minutes later.</p>
<p>“We’ve still got two more hours.” Bucky glances at her quickly, enough to pick up on her level of boredom. “There’s a pack of Oreos in the glove compartment.”</p>
<p>She squeals, instantly transforming into a gremlin in search of treasure – or Smaug, Bucky thinks, what with the menacing look she gets when it comes to the prospect of food. He can clearly see the debate turning the wheels in her head: should she share with Nat and Sam or just rationalise her greediness by thinking that they’re too busy with their phones and not wanting to bother them?</p>
<p>She plucks out one cookie from the wrapper, doing her best not to make any noise. Her hands lower in front of her, hiding the packet until it’s tucked neatly between her legs, and with a quick glance behind her for reassurance that those two didn’t hear or notice anything, she proceeds to pop the entire Oreo into her mouth as quickly as possible. Bucky snorts and shakes his head, but next thing he knows, she’s pushing a cookie into his own mouth, still trying to act inconspicuous.</p>
<p>“Why do you have so much junk in there anyway?” She asks a few minutes later, after they’re done with the cookies, jutting her chin out towards the glove compartment.</p>
<p>“Seeing as they’re all yours, I should be the one asking you why you won’t clean my car.”</p>
<p>Y/N pouts, but his reprimand does nothing to stop her from swiftly throwing the empty Oreo wrapper next to the others. Bucky scowls and squeezes her knee again in warning.</p>
<p>“Stop throwing shit in there!”</p>
<p>“It’s already filled with garbage anyway!” She defends, slapping at his hand that wouldn’t give.</p>
<p>“You’re cleaning it when we get there.”</p>
<p>“No, I’m not. It’s your car.”</p>
<p>“Just play one of your stupid games and she’ll do whatever you want.” Nat supplies from the back, not lifting her head from her phone.</p>
<p>“That’s not how it works.” Y/N glowers. “Plus, I don’t <em>always </em>do whatever he wants.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, you do.” Sam chimes in. “He just has to dare you.”</p>
<p>“Oh, look. Wanda and Steve both agreed as well.” Nat laughs.</p>
<p>Y/N crosses her arms, an affronted pout on her face. She looks at Bucky for reinforcement, but he’s just snickering under his breath, eyes still on the road. She slaps his arm, until he has to grab her hands again and place them in her lap – another warning.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t have to be one of ours dares, anyway. We usually accept your dares as well.”</p>
<p>“Fine, then.” Nat immediately jumps on the opportunity with a smirk, placing her phone on the middle seat. “There’s only five bedrooms, right? I dare you two to share a room.”</p>
<p>Sam snickers, furiously typing away on his phone, most definitely relating what is happening word for word on the group chat. The incoming pings signal Wanda’s excitement, while Peggy is doing her best at trying to keep up with what Steve is instructing her to write for him. Bucky and Y/N share a confused short look, before she turns back to Nat, who’s expecting an answer with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>“I mean, we were already going to.” Y/N shrugs, unaffected. “Sam snores and you tend to throw punches in your sleep. One time you pushed me off the bed.”</p>
<p>Sam drops his phone and while he’s scrambling to get it from under Y/N’s seat, Nat can only grumble a ‘what’ in response.</p>
<p>“We’ve slept together before, I don’t see why you’d be so surprised.” Bucky offers and Sam drops his phone again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Spin the Bottle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Steve sees when he enters the living room is the tv turned on to a Ted Bundy documentary. He doesn’t have to go around the room to know that Y/N is currently laying on the couch, and he’s even less surprised to see Bucky’s top bun peeking over it.</p><p>“Didn’t you already watch this one?” He asks while he takes Peggy’s coat and hangs it next to his own.</p><p>“That was the movie with Zac Efron, you uncultured swine.” Y/N grumbles from her spot, head in Bucky’s lap while he’s brushing her hair absentmindedly.</p><p>Peggy walks into the kitchen after greeting the two. Neither of them pays too much attention to her, and when Steve walks in after her, he can see the small smile on her face. Placing his arms around her body, he rests his chin on her shoulder, as she looks through the cabinet for wine glasses.</p><p>“What’re you smiling at?” He murmurs in her hair.</p><p>“Nothing in particular. It’s just fascinating to watch those two.” She hands him four glasses and proceeds to look for a corkscrew. “I can’t believe they don’t realise how much they love each other.”</p><p>“Oh, they <em>know.</em>” Steve laughs, as he takes the bottle of wine out of the fridge. “They just think they’re friends.”</p><p>“You mean nothing ever happened between them?” Peggy raises an eyebrow, attention turned to taking out the food from takeout boxes and placing it onto plates. “Not even a tiny kiss?”</p><p>“Does spin the bottle count?”</p><p>“You <em>did not </em>play spin the bottle.” Peggy laughs, stopping in her tracks. “What are you? Twelve?”</p><p>“Oh, you have no idea how many stupid games we’ve played either because those two have the weirdest sense of humour or just because Sam and Y/N like to mess with each other.”</p><p>Peggy makes Steve promise he’ll tell her the highlights of these games before they take the food and the wine to the living room. She smiles as she follows him with a fondness that doesn’t go unnoticed by either Y/N or Bucky, but neither comments on it, as they stand from their respective places to dig in. They content themselves with watching the couple from their corners of their eyes, excited by their budding romance. They don’t, however, realise that Peggy and Steve are actually mirroring their own cuddling position when they sit on the armchair together with their glasses of wine.</p><p>“Ok, I wasn’t going to comment on it.” Y/N starts, mouth full of noodles. “But I would like you two to be my parents. Please! I haven’t been this well fed and looked after since my sister moved out to get married to that doofus.”</p><p>“I didn’t know you don’t like your brother-in-law.” Steve says confused.</p><p>“Don’t be fooled, bud.” Bucky laughs. “She loves David. She’s just bitter she doesn’t have her sister to clean after her and not let her starve anymore.”</p><p>“Well, considering you’re here nearly all the time, I wouldn’t say you need to worry about that.”</p><p>“Uh, excuse me. That is <em>exactly </em>why I’m here all the time, so I <em>don’t </em>have to be alone in that itty bitty apartment.”</p><p>Chopsticks raised in defiance towards Steve, Y/N turns towards Bucky while eyeing his plate. He looks at her for a second and with a sigh, feeds her one of his spring rolls. Peggy giggles softly, but only Steve hears it which earns her a shake of his head.</p><p>“Idiots.” He mouths with a shrug.</p><p>“So what’s this spin the bottle I’ve been hearing about?” Steve’s head whips towards his girlfriend, but there’s a mischievous grin on her face that he’s only ever seen on Nat whenever she likes to poke fun at Y/N.</p><p>“What about it?” Bucky replies, completely oblivious, as he takes Y/N’s empty plate and places it on top of his on the coffee table.</p><p>They both resume their places on the sofa, Y/N cuddling under his shoulder, his arm easily going over her arm, pulling her closer. Peggy has only been part of their group for a short amount of time, having been introduced to Steve’s friends months after they started dating, so the friendship between Y/N and Bucky is still baffling to her. Having been reassured time and again that it’s only typical to those two, and not any other member of the group, she can’t for the life of her understand exactly <em>how </em>they function or how every single one of them can act as if it’s normal. She guesses it wouldn’t be that hard, however, when you get used to it.</p><p>“Anyone I should feel threatened by?” She laughs, amused by Steve’s horrified expression.</p><p>“Don’t you dare!” He warns, a finger raised in Y/N’s direction as a smirk appears on her face.</p><p>“Oh, babe. Peggy, my love, you surely already know Stevie here likes brunettes. Tall, muscular and rugged, to be more precise.”</p><p>A cushion lands on her face, before she can go on with her little spiel. Bucky takes it and throws it back at Steve, fast enough so she can’t retaliate.</p><p>Peggy turns in her boyfriend’s arms, laughing at how beet red he is now. “Is that so?”</p><p>“You’re one to talk!” He splutters after his head turns from Peggy to Y/N.</p><p>“Hey, I only like to kiss people whose hair is so glorious it makes me weep.”</p><p>“Is that why you kissed Nat so many times?” Bucky chuckles.</p><p>“Duh.” She says with a roll of her eyes.</p><p>“And here I was thinking you were talking about Bucky.” Peggy comments with a well-crafted innocence.</p><p>Y/N shifts in her place, gaze following the line of Bucky’s jaw, then that of his nose, his eyes that are trained on her, to his hair. She ponders for a second, as if only now inspecting his hair for the first time, before she pulls on the elastic band, letting his strands fall onto his face. A hand brushes through them, grabbing at the ends and tugging once.</p><p>“Yeah.” She replies with a grumble. “The fucker does have amazing hair.”</p><p>“You either stop that or I’m going to cut it.” He warns, as she starts pulling again.</p><p>“No!” She gasps. “You wouldn’t <em>dare </em>hurt me in such a cruel way.”</p><p>“Then stop being a dick.” Bucky kisses her forehead, while he lowers her hand back onto his chest. “At least now I know what scares you.”</p><p>“Bitch, you can’t use my one weakness against me like that.”</p><p>“Y/N, the entirety of <em>Bucky </em>is your goddamned weakness.” Steve laughs.</p><p>“He’s the love of my life, of course he’s my weakness.”</p><p>Y/N raises a hand in confusion, as if he’s just stated that water is wet. Bucky just nods his head in agreement, showing that he shares the sentiment exactly, to which Steve just rolls his eyes. Peggy stops in the middle of raising her glass to her lips. She is dumbfounded – this whole friendship makes completely no sense to her. Steve will later tell her not to worry, it doesn’t make sense to anyone either.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>